Celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day with Kekuli Cafe
In support of National Indigenous Peoples Day, I interviewed Sharon, the owner of Kekuli Cafe. Kekuli Cafe is a locally owned Indigenous Cuisine restaurant in West Kelowna. They also have a location in Merritt, BC.
As I know some of you may or may not be familiar with Kekuli, here’s a recap of our interview. You can also head to my Instagram to watch the full interview over on my IGTV. I will also save it to my highlights.
Meet Sharon!
Q: How long has Kekuli been in operations for?
A: I have lived in the Okanagan for almost 30 years and have been in business here in West Kelowna since 2009.
Q: What is the the significance of the name Kekuli?
A: I named my business Kekuli as it was an Indigenous dwelling. First Nations lived in Kekulis all throughout the Thompson-Okanagan area and Kekuli in English means “home”. I also loved the name and how it sounds so I registered it for our cafe as it has a really nice flow to it.
Q: Let’s talk about the Bannock! Kekuli Cafe is most famous for their bannock. Your saying goes “Don’t panic we have bannock!”
A: A Bannock is a bread. Every culture has their own bread and for Indigenous people, Bannock is ours – it’s our survival bread. Bannock is fried, baked, grilled, decorated with icing, berries, and can be made into a sweet or savory snack. We’re always implementing new ideas to make Bannock and have many different kinds.
Q: What is your favorite kind of Bannock?
A: I love the cinnamon bun!
Q: Why did you start this business?
A: We needed a place where we can gather with family and friends listening to Indigenous music. I didn’t know if there was such thing as an Indigenous restaurant in Canada. There used to be a business in Vancouver that inspired me.
It’s been great for people to come all over the world as Kekuli is Indigenous and it’s Indigenous owned. Everybody that works here comes from different backgrounds. We also have great partners in the community that support us, and we support them.
Q: Amazing! Well thanks for sharing about Kekuli with us Sharon and your culture.
A: Thanks for having me!
Check out Kekuli Cafe in West Kelowna! Sharon is there most days so don’t be afraid to say hi 🙂
And once again, Happy Indigenous People’s Day! Please choose to support Indigenous today.
-Jenna xoxo